How To Declutter Your Wardrobe In One Day

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Most of us have too many clothes and accessories lying unused in our wardrobes. To a large extent, I am a conscious buyer and don’t follow fashion trends. Even so, over a period of time, my wardrobe was beginning to look like it needed some serious decluttering. I had gone through different phases of my life, from being a college student to a married woman, followed by pregnancy and now motherhood. It feels like no matter how careful I have been with my buying somehow I have remnants from every phase of my life still lurking around in my closet. Do I need all this stuff? Definitely not.

Post pregnancy I went into a massive decluttering phase where I literally cleaned out my closet of bags of clothing and other accessories.

Even after drastically reducing my wardrobe size, I was not happy with how my wardrobe was shaping up. This time around I became more intentional in the buying and decluttering process. More on how I did this later in the article, lets first talk about the WHY?

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WHY DECLUTTER YOUR WARDROBE?

You feel like you don’t have any clothes to wear

You know what I am talking about. You own 100 plus clothes yet you feel like you have nothing nice to wear. This is because all your clothes are stacked up where you can’t really see them or misplaced in the closet. You don’t find what you want, nothing matches and you are constantly feeling like your wardrobe is not cohesive.

You forget about what you own

This has happened with me many times. I buy something new and keep it “safely” in a nice corner of my wardrobe and completely forget about it. Only to find it a few months down the line, with the tags still intact.

Constant feeling of dissatisfaction

The more you buy the more you want. It’s never-ending. And a cluttered closet just promotes this dissatisfaction with one’s wardrobe and clothing choices.

STEPS TO DECLUTTER YOUR WARDROBE | DOWNSIZING WARDROBE TIPS

Remove everything

The first step to declutter your wardrobe is to completely empty it. Start with an empty space to work with. Now you can understand how to re-organize your clothes in the most space efficient manner.

Also, all your clothes piled up in front of you brings home the point of how excessive you have been. How many of these clothes and accessories are truly in use, and how many have been just taking up space.

Make three piles

Make three piles when you start decluttering clothes and accessories,

Use: Go through all your clothes and accessories and decide which ones you are still loving and using. Keep those aside to be put back into the closet later.

Donate/Sell: We all have some clothes, bags or shoes that don’t fit anymore or are no longer in trend. But these are still in good condition to donate or sell and be of use to someone else. Bag these up and keep aside.

Many NGO’s have special donation drives around the year. Call your local orphanage or old age home and inquire if they need clothes or shoes.

You can even sell your clothing on reselling websites like OLX. Brands like H & M provide a discount on your next purchase if you donate a bag of old clothes.

Throw: Discard clothing that has tears, piling or has become shapeless with use.

Tackle the ‘one-time’ outfits

We all own a few “one time only” outfits. Most of us hang on to them either for sentimental reasons or because we think there will be another occasion to wear them. What ends up happening is that these clothes stick around unused in our wardrobes for years.

One time only outfits are the hardest to get rid of as you declutter your wardrobe. Sometimes you have to be hard on yourself and donate these outfits.

At other times redesigning can come in handy. Redesigning elaborate Indian wear is actually a great way to stop yourself from buying more ‘one time only outfits’. A lehenga can be made into an Anarkali. Or stitch a new simple blouse for your wedding lehenga and use the lehenga in a whole new look at other events.

Better still rent occasion wear instead of buying new outfits each time.

Organize

When putting back clothes organize in a manner that provides easy access to all your clothes and puts everything on display.

Here are some wardrobe organizers I find useful to stack, store and display clothes.

DECLUTTERING TIPS SO YOU DON’T END UP WITH CLUTTER EVER AGAIN

Capsule wardrobes

One of the biggest tips I can give you is to build a capsule wardrobe. Not only do capsules reduce clutter they help produce cohesive and well put together looks each time.

I have been using the capsule wardrobe system for my son since he was 6 months old. We never got to a place where we had too many clothes and no opportunities to wear them. Building a capsule wardrobe helped me get good use out of all his clothes.

To know more about how I built my toddler’s capsule wardrobe you can check this post with capsule wardrobe tips.

Buy only what’s necessary/a minimalist approach to building your wardrobe

I follow a minimalist system with my own clothes too. Though my wardrobe is not yet a 37 piece capsule wardrobe, I only own pieces that I know I can get good use out of.

I have stopped purchasing trending pieces and ‘one time only’ outfits.

Each time I consider a purchase I ask myself, “Do I really need this?” If it’s a big yes, only then do I buy.

This winter I didn’t buy new winter clothing. I created a few staple looks using old jackets and cardigans and will stick to using these clothes getting the most bang for my money when it comes to winter jackets.

At one point shoes and bags were a big spend in my budget. Now I stock on basic pieces and use those in rotation. 3 to 4 good pair of shoes and 2 good quality bags is all you really need.

A minimalistic approach to building a wardrobe will avoid any new extra and unwanted clothes from piling up.

Think Quality not Quantity

You need to invest in good quality clothes, shoes and bags when you wish to use them for years. I am still using my 7 – 8-year-old sandals and bags. Buying from quality brands and choosing timeless classic designs helps in the long run.

4. One in, One out

Another decluttering tip that helps reduce clutter is the “One in, One out method”. When you buy something new, it has to replace something from your wardrobe. One item gets added to your wardrobe and one gets discarded to take its place. This will help you be mindful about your purchases.

I hope this article helps you declutter your wardrobe and make more conscious choices when you shop. How do you maintain a clutter free wardrobe? Leave us with your best decluttering tips in the comments below.

I love this article thank you for writing it, super insightful! I always collect my clothes and refuse to throw them out which is such a bad habit and I can’t wait to get back home to my apartment after the holidays and give my closet a cleanse!z

One-in-one out is something I have followed for many years when organizing my closet. I get how difficult it is for some, especially with items that are not used as much or sentimental. That is why the next step for me is building a capsule wardrobe.

This was great, thank you! I have a huge overflowing walk-in closet that I’ve been meaning to address for ages, but always struggle with where to begin. I think I might’ve just have to dive in with fully emptying it first and going from there..